Learning to control lighting. soft diffused light

In photographers' conversations about lighting, you can often hear such concepts as hard and soft light. Let's see what it is and when it is used.

hard light

hard light allows you to create vivid dramatic portraits. With such shooting, shadows are formed - deep and sharp. Sharpness is formed due to the small area of ​​transition from light to shadow. Hard light hitting the subject at an angle captures the texture and character of the surface, but it also comes with a downside. The photo will clearly show all skin defects.

Working with hard light requires certain skills from the photographer. In particular, you need to be able to "see the light", and accurately set it with further tuning. You can destroy the beauty of the picture very easily - just turn your head a little in any direction. This change will break the composition.

Soft light

What does this mean for the photographer? What can be obtained from a soft light source under certain conditions hard lighting. This will be possible if the distance between the subject and the light source is many times greater than the size of this source. In this case, they say that almost a point source has turned out. This is the flash. But how do you achieve soft light?

There is an exit. The photographer will need to increase the radiation area. Thus, the luminous flux will "spread" over a larger surface, and at the same time, the direction of the light will remain, which is important.

How technically it is possible to increase the radiation area. It is necessary that the light is reflected from a large surface or passed through a scattering material. In the first case, you can use an umbrella for reflection or a camera with a flash aimed at the ceiling. In the second - scream panel, softbox, frost frame.

What are some examples of soft light? They can serve as a window where direct lines do not fall. Sun rays or cloudy skies.

The image, which is obtained due to the source of such light, has its own characteristics. In this case, the transition from light to shadow becomes more extended. So, skin defects during photography will become less noticeable.

If you think soft-light portraits are a process that requires studio equipment, then you're wrong. It's easy enough to create right conditions for shooting, and the easiest solution here is to use the light from the window.

Through the half-open door of the office came the Argentine tango, sometimes interrupted by the sounds of car horns coming from the streets of Buenos Aires, the joyful cries of children, the quick and loud conversation of passers-by. It was getting dark, people were rushing home, or to visit, maybe to a concert... Shop windows were lit up with bright lamps, neon names were lit up over the entrances to restaurants. The beginning of a typical big city evening.
In the office, on a carved desk, there was a lighted lamp, filling the room with a soft diffused light...

………………………………………..Soft scattered light…………………………………..

The sun was rising over Rhineland-Palatinate. Here it illuminated the still dormant spruce forests of the Pfalzer Wald, birds sang, congratulating each other on a new wonderful day, squirrels crawled out of their hollow houses. The squirrels began to rush in a spiral, trying to catch their friend by the tail, and the aged squirrels gradually descended to the needle-strewn ground, in search of fallen cones and mushrooms. The sun, having laughed enough at the forest inhabitants, set off on its journey, and pierced the waters of the gray Rhine with its rays. From the depths of the river, thousands of fish rose towards the luminary, and after a while it began to seem that the great Rhine shimmered with silver. And this silver played, jumping out of the river into the air, with a splash entered the running waves, and the splashes of water seemed precious stones from the caves of the Eifel mountains.

The sun's rays finally broke away from the water surface, running along the steps of the embankment behind the Cathedral of Saints Martin and Stefan, burst into the streets and squares of the city of Mainz, which immediately shone with cleanly washed glass windows of residential buildings, shop windows and stained-glass windows of the cathedral. Magnificent Mainz, known as Mogontiacum during the Roman Empire, with a Roman basilica, the home of the pioneer Gutenberg printer and a Cathedral that rivals Cologne in terms of impact on all who saw it. A city of centuries-old culture, silence and tranquility, broken only by the cry of seagulls and the horns of steamboats coming from the Rhine.

But the light didn't stop there. It tried to enter the apartments through drawn curtains and lowered blinds in order to wake up the tenants and hear their enthusiastic words about its power and beauty. And so, having found a small gap between the closed curtains on one window of the third floor ancient building, it carefully entered the room where wooden bed a little girl was sleeping, hugging a teddy bear with a worn leather nose. Brown strands of hair scattered over the pillow, thick black eyelashes framed tightly closed eyes. The rays of the sun began to run over the face of the sleeping girl and, lifting one eyelash after another, woke her up.

The girl wrinkled her nose and rubbed her eyes with her fists, opened it and laughed joyfully, seeing how the curtains glowed in the rays of the morning sun, how rare dust particles in the air turned golden. She got out from under the covers and ran barefoot to the window. She pulled back the curtains, and a stream of bright light poured into her face. The girl closed her dark green eyes for a moment, but then opened them to meet this light and looked out the window. And she laughed again with the merry childish laughter that one laughs when turning colored paper on a much awaited gift. But this day was a gift for the girl! No! He was to become a feast! A bright day off, which she will spend with her parents, walking along the streets of Mainz, its squares, squares and parks! Walk! But first you need to wake up these "couch potatoes"! And she ran to her parents' bedroom.

The girl opened the door and looked through the crack. Her parents sniffed their noses in their sleep, and her father even snored a little, and his wheaten mustache rose in time with his breathing. Quietly, tiptoeing into the room, she began to creep up to the bed, barely holding back her laughter and imagining how now, imitating the clock on the Cathedral, she would loudly say: “Bam-zemmm! Bam-zemmm!", and her mom and dad will jump up in surprise, and then laugh merrily at how they were treated. She crept very close to her parents and was just about to “ring the clock”, when dad, roaring “tiger”, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her onto the bed. The girl began, laughing, to escape from the arms of the mustachioed "predator", but he was stronger and did not let her out of the "paws". “Mommy, please, become a panther!” the girl screamed. And the mother became a "panther" - a savior, and after a short fight with the "tiger" she freed her daughter. "More! More!" - demanded released from "captivity", but my mother said: "That's enough for today, Esther. We need to feed the "tiger", have breakfast ourselves and go for a walk, and then we will go to visit Aunt Frida and Uncle Solomon! "Uraaaa!" Esther screamed, and, jumping on one leg, she galloped off to wash herself.

And an hour later, when the family had breakfast, Esther's feast began. The streets of Mainz greeted the girl and her parents with smiles from passers-by, friendly handshakes from acquaintances and friends, and a strip of flour from the hand of a cheerful baker on Esther's nose after visiting the bakery. Papa and mama walked sedately arm in arm towards the Cathedral, and the minx ran ahead, laughing and dancing in the rays of the sun, eating a pretzel, throwing crumbs to the ubiquitous sparrows.

The cathedral towered over Esther like an ancient impregnable castle. And she began, as she had done many times already, to imagine herself as a little fairy, which was imprisoned in this castle by a formidable wizard. But how can evil keep a fairy? No, of course not! Because, very soon, a huge good dragon will fly in, in which the spirit of a brave knight is embodied. The dragon, sparkling with magical scales, will fly around the castle, examining it with its amber eyes, in search of a fairy, and, having found it, will make a loud roar that will frighten the formidable wizard so much that he will burst with fear! It serves him right! A fairy with a dragon will fly away to the mysterious Black Forest, and will live there in a hut! And Esther laughed merrily, drawing in her mind a picture of how the dragon would climb into the hut, not knowing what to do with the tail!

Esther's feasting continued in the Old City, with its half-timbered houses, the swans in the artificial lake, which she hand-fed, and the beautiful birds offered their necks for caresses. Finally, the whole family in a cheerful mood came to the house of Aunt Frida and Uncle Solomon. How Esther loved to be in this spacious bright apartment, across the street from her house. The walls were hung with photographs of relatives, whether serious or smiling, different ages, but practically in the same poses - sitting with books in their hands; standing in thought, leaning on the bureau; behind family table with candles and cups of coffee. Esther's favorite was the large, round portrait of her great-grandmother and her young aunt Frieda. A great-grandmother with gray hair like a harrier, a kind, understanding look, with a large cameo on a strict dress. And young Aunt Frida, in a sailor suit, very beautiful, but with disturbing eyes... Now Aunt Frida was at a respectable age, retaining her impetuosity of movements, lightness of step, clarity of mind and extraordinary sense of humor. She met her relatives in dark blue satin loose-fitting trousers, and the same jacket with a collar under her throat. The jacket was embroidered with brown threads depicting ducks in the reeds and a Chinese man in a straw hat walking along the bridge over the pond. Esther's mother said that Aunt Frieda felt "chic"!

Aunt Frida opened the door and shouted: “Soli, look who has come to us! Leave your cards alone! Our star has arrived! And her hungry, I hope, parents!” "I'm hungry too!" Esther said. Everyone laughed and entered the apartment. The door from the office opened, first the belly appeared, and then Uncle Solomon himself, the most famous preferentialist in the city. The pince-nez was shifted to the very tip of his nose, his eyes smiled slyly. Waving greetings to Esther's parents, he picked up and threw the girl up to the ceiling, kissed her on the cheek, whispering in her ear: “Don't tell anyone! A big secret! Frida baked teiglah for your arrival!” “Hurrah, hurrah!” cried Esther – there will be teiglah! But this a big secret!" And with this "secret" everyone went to the dining room.

Tired of a long walk around Mainz, and sitting at a table with goodies, Esther slept on a leather sofa, covered with a blanket. The adults drank coffee and talked about their plans, about new opera productions in Frankfurt, about the bright future of Germany that Adolf Hitler had promised. It became dark outside the window, the father took Esther in his arms, and after a short goodbye, he carried her across the street home. Mom undressed the girl and put her to bed. The parents watched Esther sniffle for several minutes, then the father put his arm around the mother's waist and they went into their bedroom.

Clouds swept over Mainz, it rained, alternated with snow and then with the sun. Days passed, turning into months and years. But three years later, a huge switch turned on. With a creak, it began to turn around its axis and, having passed the dead point, clicked. And the heavenly light went out ..

No no! The sun, just as before, rose every fine morning over Mainz. But can the sun's rays replace happiness, peace of mind, a sense of joy? The sun enhances human perceptions, the night brings delights of love, and the rain brings calm. Let there be a moonless night, let a cold downpour hit the windows. The clouds will disperse, and the beautiful Moon will look out, the rain will stop, and the scents of flowers or fallen autumn leaves will spill into the air ... Darkness is impenetrable, threatening and merciless.
Darkness destroys a person, taking away spiritual strength, depriving him of the future, and, like a quagmire, it draws deeper and deeper into itself, pours into the mouth open in the last cry, and sucks out the last crumbs of air. All those who are deprived of everyday joys, happy moments, love and participation are doomed to a slow extinction. The breathing of living people begins to turn into a Cheyne-Stoke, but they notice it at the very last moment.

Two weeks ago, the darkness began to draw Esther's family into itself with the inexorability of an executioner tying the victim of the Inquisition to the wheel. Little Esther, still feeling protected by mom and dad, received the second strongest blow in the morning, which she could not stand alone. When, waking up, Esther ran into the living room to greet her parents, he saw her mother sewing a yellow six-pointed star onto her coat. "Mom, dad, I'm your star! Yes?! I am a star! I'm a star!!" - and she began to spin in some kind of dance known only to her. But her mother, a charming, affectionate, young woman with peach skin, who conveyed all her beauty to her daughter, dropped her head into her hands and burst into tears. Esther stopped and ran up to her: "Mom, mom, why are you crying?" She looked at her dad, and was frightened to see tears in his eyes. And then, Esther noticed his jacket hanging on a chair with the same as on her coat, a yellow six-pointed star and a black inscription "JUDE". Rejoicing at the morning meeting with her parents, and stunned by the star sewn on her coat, the girl did not notice this deadly designation. Esther wanted to live in love, be protected by her parents, and have a childhood, not a designation.

“But, daddy, you are not a Jew, you are a German! Why did your mother sew a star on you too? For what?!" - Esther began to scream, fear crept into the soul of the girl more and more. The father picked up Esther in his arms, pressed her to his chest, and, looking into her eyes, said hoarsely: “Yes, Esther, I am a German ... Yes, a German! But, I am not a traitor to my wife and daughter! We came to these stars hand in hand, we will go with them together ... ". Father wanted to say something else, but his voice stopped, his face turned pale, and he sank down on the sofa. “Oh my God, dear, what is the matter with you?! Mom screamed. “Esther, it’s a heart attack!” Wet the towel cold water and bring it quickly! Dear, we are with you, we are all together ... Come on, lie down ... You see, Esther has already brought a towel, let's put it on your heart, and you will feel better ... ".

Esther and her mother sat by the sofa, and looked at the sleeping father. His face turned pink, the attack passed, but his breathing was restless, he groaned. Mom held dad's hand and stroked his hand. Esther looked at her father's big and once strong hand, and thought: “Will dad be able to keep his word – We will not let you offend! – that he gave her just a month ago? Can it?” And the memories of that terrible day came flooding back with renewed vigor -

On the eve of her birthday, Esther went to bed later than usual. She could not fall asleep for a long time, tossing and turning from side to side, trying to guess what her parents would give her, what jokes Aunt Frida and Uncle Solomon would show, what kind of cake the confectioner Helmut, their housemate, would make. Esther got up, picked up the teddy bear from the chair, and climbed under the covers with it. The girl's eyes began to stick together, she took a deep breath and fell asleep ... And Esther had a wonderful dream - she was standing at the window, behind which there was a clear, clear starry sky ... A huge moon was shining, flooding blue color street, and crystal rain falls from above, and crystal droplets hit the pavement with a melodious ringing, jump, collide with each other, and the ringing sound intensifies ... And then gnomes from the Eifel caves appear, carrying brightly burning torches in their hands. And the light is reflected in thousands of crystals and it seems that the whole street begins to burn in a magical flame.

When Esther woke up on a dull November morning, she lay in bed for a long time, afraid to destroy the joyful impression of the dream, and. only when the sun's rays hesitantly made their way through the clouds did she get up and run to the window. “Crystal rain was in fact!” - Esther said happily and already wanted to run and tell mom and dad about this, as her heart sank and began to beat very quickly. And a fear he had never known before arose in him.

The sun's rays reflected off the huge amount of broken window glass that littered the street. The windows of the houses gaped with black gaps, like toothless mouths bared in a terrible scream. One of the buildings burned out completely, and the fire covered the neighboring facades with soot. Esther looked at the house of Aunt Frieda and Uncle Solomon and what she saw made her recoil from the window. Aunt Frida was lying on the pavement. A dark puddle swam under her head, her pose resembled a rag doll thrown into a landfill, her head was so unnaturally turned, and three steps from the body of Aunt Frida, leaning against the wall, sat Uncle Solomon. His head hung down on his chest, his arms hung along the body, which was wrapped in some kind of cloth. Esther peered and realized what kind of fabric was wrapped around Uncle Solomon. It was a Torah scroll.

Frightened by what she saw, Esther was about to run to her parents, when the door opened and they entered her room. Mom's face was as white as paper, and her eyes were red with tears. Dad squatted down in front of Esther, stroking her hand, said: “While we are together, daughter, don’t be afraid of anything ... We won’t let you offend ... We won’t let ...” Dad’s voice became muffled, he kissed Esther on the forehead, and left the room. And mother and Esther sat on the bed, hugged and sat for a long time, listening to the city workers on the street remove the glass and load it onto cars.

Esther woke up from her memories when she heard her mother's voice. She was talking to her dad, who was reclining on the couch, embarrassed by his unexpected weakness. “Darling, if you feel better tomorrow, we will all go to the park together. Esther needs to go for a walk, fresh air strengthens health and contributes to the development of abilities in a child. Besides... We can't show our fear, or weakness... We are ready for anything. Darling, what do you think?" - Mom tried to speak in a cheerful voice, but Esther felt hesitant in the last question. The father carefully looked at his beloved wife, at Esther, and answered: “We are ready for anything ... But are we ready for the fact that they will not care about us ?!”

That evening Esther went to bed with her parents. She could not fall asleep for a long time, but then her eyelids closed, her breathing calmed down, she fell asleep and had a dream:

Esther sat at the window of the castle and looked at the night sky ... The stars shone with a bright cold light, twinkling, winking at each other. Esther peered into the unusually beautiful depths of heaven, but not distant luminaries interested her at that moment. There, high, high, far, far away, a dragon, sparkling with scales, with amber eyes, was flying ... The dragon was in a hurry to help Esther, because she was a fairy locked up by an evil evil magician in this huge terrible castle. And then the dragon appeared in all its glory, it flew closer and closer. Now he will save her! Dragon, I'm here! And suddenly, the dragon's eyes became dull, indifferent... He made a circle over the castle and began to rise higher...higher...back to his distant star home...Dragon! The Dragon! Why did you leave me alone in this terrible place?! Esther rushed down the huge marble stairs, and, running past the crystal mirror, she saw her reflection. She stood dressed in a blue, airy dress and blue shoes. Her hair shone in the light of the torches, her emerald eyes were wide open in surprise, and the sapphire bracelet, a gift from Aunt Frida, emphasized the peach color of the skin on the handle. Why did the dragon fly away? And at that moment, a yellow star with a black inscription "JUDE" shone on Esther's chest -

Esther woke up crying. She understood why the dragon flew away. The dragon hurried to help the fairy, but how can she be "JUDE"? And the dragon saw no one... And Esther clearly understood that she would never be a fairy again... That the dragon had flown away forever. And that now she is forever - "JUDE". Childhood is over.

The cold wind drove fallen leaves through the streets of Mainz, forced passers-by to turn up the collars of coats and jackets, rainwater large drops rolled down from the bronze eye sockets of Gutenberg, resembling tears. But, perhaps, these were really tears for thousands and thousands of blazing books in the fires of madmen? And the Darkness thickened more and more over this city, taking on more and more new rough forms of the existence of Esther and her parents.

Three years later, the huge switch rattled again. There was a terrible clicking sound, and the Darkness lit up with crimson tongues of monstrous flame. This fire did not make it brighter, and this fire did not give heat. And the Darkness thickened more and more, a deadly cold blew from it. And this flame, and deadly cold, were the harbingers of Hell rising from the depths of Darkness.

The wind swayed the body of the boy, hanging in the noose of the gallows, installed on the parade ground. His head leaned unnaturally on his shoulder, his face turned blue, and his tongue stuck out. His hands, neatly bandaged at the wrists, hung limply along his exhausted body. A few seconds ago, the boy was fighting for his life, performing a terrible dance on the gallows, as if to say: “Yesterday they didn’t let me die as I wanted, but today I don’t want to die like you want. I am human". He continued to struggle with death, until the SSman, surprised by his desire to live, pressed his huge palms on his shoulders. There was a crunch of the vertebrae, and the life of the child was cut short. A man in a white coat draped over an SS uniform looked him in the face and waved his hand. The show trial is over. At the command of the guards, the children standing in a row turned around and headed towards the barracks in a column. Wooden clogs, like an ominous metronome, tapped out steps, the rhythm of which kept getting off, and the guards reacted to this with angry short commands, from the sound of which the children cringed in anticipation of a blow with the butt of a carbine or a whip. The Rottweilers began to tear from the leash with a ferocious bark, and the soldiers frightened the children with laughter, letting go of the leash so that huge dogs could reach out and jerk with the powerful fangs of a child.

Esther walked in a column and cried. She cried silently, restraining herself so as not to burst into tears, as in a cattle car, when she, her father and mother were taken to nowhere. When her dad, her beloved dad, no matter how hard he tried, could not protect his daughter from the horrors of death, from the sounds of butcher hooks piercing the flesh of those who died of exhaustion, and heart attacks of people to drag them to the edge of the car and throw them onto the railway embankment, when her beloved dad, pressed her to his coat so that she would not see how a young man strangled his two children, his wife, and hung himself on a “forgotten” hook driven into the wall of the car. When dad suddenly began to wheeze, his face first turned red, then turned blue, he fell on the filthy floor and began to beat his arms and legs against it, and then he stretched out and fell silent. Esther remembered how she screamed, “Dad, get up! Daddy is dirty in here! Mom, do something! What's wrong with daddy?", and heard in response: "Your father died, girl." And in the weak light falling from the air vent under the very ceiling, Esther saw a gray-haired, old woman with an absent look and a frozen face ... And then Esther hugged the old rabbi and began to read a prayer ... and she wept and could not stop, and mother stood indifferently and looked. Where she looked and what she saw, Esther never knew...

“Why am I crying and other children are not crying? – thought Esther, looking into the devastated eyes of her neighbors in the barracks – Maybe because they feed me better? When in the evening, Uncle Gunther brings a bun and milk, I will refuse! Having made this decision, Esther felt better, her tears dried up ... In the evening, Uncle Gunther, as Esther called the man in a white coat, who was present at the execution, came in the evening, and brought bread and a mug of milk. He called her out of the barracks, and began to wait, looking indifferently at the girl. "I will not eat!" Esther stated. trying to catch the eye of the SS. What Esther said did not immediately reach his understanding, and when he understood, his face was distorted by a grimace of hatred. A hand in a strong grip pressed on Esther's shoulder. "Eat, rubbish, what they give!" Gunther's voice didn't bode well. She cried out in pain, and Gunther, in a strange fright, withdrew his hand. He turned off Esther's striped yellow star jacket and made sure there were no bruises. “You were on the parade ground today. You saw the boy die. Do you want to loop? the SS man asked calmly. Esther shook her head, realizing that her resolve was fading. She took the food and began to eat, mixing bread and milk with her tears. When Esther swallowed the last piece of bread, Gunther took the empty mug and said: “I will tell Aunt Elsa that you are obedient. She will be pleased with you. Go to sleep"

--
Esther lay down and tried to sleep. During these four and a half months of life in a concentration camp, she had already become accustomed to nightly moans, sobs, and crying children in the barracks. Esther looked at the neighboring bunks, where a girl from Austria lay two days ago, with whom she really wanted to make friends. When Esther told her about this, the girl looked at her with sad eyes and replied that they could not be friends. "But why?! Esther asked nervously. “You don't like me?” We lie side by side. How much can you tell each other! “How much can you tell ... - Esther's neighbor on the bunk repeated - Esther, Esther ... we can’t tell anything ... I will die soon.” And with these words, the girl turned her face to the wall and fell silent. And yesterday she did not return from the hospital building, and almost all the children who were taken there did not return, just as many have not returned during this time.

Esther remembered how the train in which the Jews had been transported from Mainz for so long had arrived at the station. Everything repeated: commands, barking dogs. But here they were all forced to get out of the cars. She tried to be closer to her mother, to take her hand, but she pushed her daughter away, her face was frighteningly alien. Between the rows of people lined up along the already closed cars, SS men walked and pulled men, women and children out of them. When the sorting was completed, commands were given, and the girl saw her mother scurry unusually, pressing her hands, clenched into fists, to her chest. Through tears, Esther watched as the column in which her mother ran was taken farther and farther until she disappeared behind the gate. “Where were they taken? Why were we all separated? Why were other children left with their parents?” she asked these questions to the young woman standing next to her. She looked at Esther in bewilderment: “Didn’t you hear? They were taken to the showers for sanitation. And why without us, without you… I don’t know…”

Another gloomy morning dawned, of which there had already been a lot. Esther lost count, realizing its uselessness. For some minutes, the sun peeped into it through a small window in the barracks. Beams of soft diffused light illuminated the gloomy interior of Esther's terrible orphanage. They lit it up and disappeared, as if they were afraid of what they had to see once again.

The doors to the barracks flung open, two men in striped camp uniforms with yellow six-pointed stars on their chests brought in a cauldron of boiled swede and pieces of moldy bread. The children got up from the bunk and lined up for what could hardly be called food. Esther did not approach them. She must wait for Gunther.

When Esther finished the bread, washed down with milk, the children had already been taken away. The girl was sitting on the bunk all alone in the dead silence of the barracks. “Why am I better fed, why didn’t I get a tattoo with a number on my arm, where is my mother?” - questions arose in her head in a continuous and such a familiar sequence. Esther received no answers, and there was no one to ask. The only thing that began to brighten up the gray viscous days was the appearance of Aunt Elsa.

Aunt Elsa is the name Esther heard from Gunther as soon as he singled her out from the many frightened to death children standing in line for a tattoo. The tenacious look of a tall man with a pale face, gray evil attentive eyes and a sharp nose made Esther cringe. Chills ran through the girl's body. She held out left hand an SS man sitting at a table on which needles were laid out, and there was a cup with blue paint, but Gunther put his big hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. The SS man casually glanced at Esther and nodded his head in understanding.

Gunther pushed Esther out of the barracks and, looking over the girl's head, explained that she was lucky. Lucky in a way that others can only dream of. Esther interested Aunt Elsa - very good doctor and a kind woman, but, in turn, Esther must be an obedient girl and fulfill all her instructions. Aunt Elsa herself will return to the camp after a rest in two weeks, and Esther must eat well all this time, and obey him - Gunther.

Neither after two weeks, nor after three months, Aunt Elsa did not come. But a week ago, when Esther, already habitually alone, was sitting in the barracks, trying not to remember the bright, filled with happiness and love, days of her childhood ... Driving away thoughts of swans on the pond in Mainz, kind and strong hands of dad, joyful laughter of mom and such delicious teiglach of Aunt Frida, when the door opened, and a young, slender brown-haired woman in a white coat literally burst into the barracks.

“Where is my Esther?! Where is my girl?! - the woman shouted cheerfully - Are you Esther ?! She walked with a light step to the girl, who jumped up from the bunk, at her appearance, grabbed Esther by the hand and twirled. "Amazing! Just great! - Aunt Elsa continued to speak loudly, as Esther understood it - Gunther is well done! You know, Esther... No, I'll call you Peach! Did you like peaches? Gunther is pleased with you! True, there was one case when you decided not to obey him ... But you will not be mistaken again ?! I'm right?!" The woman's face became stern at these words, and Esther hastened to agree. "That's right, Peach! I'm glad you understand me! - said Aunt Elsa - And since it so happened that we immediately liked each other, I allow you to say what you want most of all! "I want to meet my mom!" Esther answered without hesitation, looking hopefully into the blue eyes of the female doctor.

“To meet my mother…” Aunt Elsa repeated in bewilderment, and, throwing back her head, laughed. Her sharp laugh, reminiscent of the cry of a night bird, seemed to break the silence of the barracks. “Of course you will meet your mother! I can even promise you that, Peach!” - confidently said the woman, smiling at these words to her thoughts. Esther believed this young, pretty and so kind woman, and smiled, feeling a glimmer of hope for something reminiscent of joy in the past.

From that day on, time flew faster, Gunther came for Esther, and took the girl to Aunt Elsa, to her office, in a long one-story building, standing not far from the barracks. The building was white, with two entrances to it. Esther entered the door in the front of the hospital, as indicated by the red cross on the sign, and the other wide doors through which the children were brought in were at the end.

Aunt Elsa met the girl with a constant smile, treated her to cookies, and then Gunther weighed her on the scales, gave an injection, from which Esther experienced unpleasant and painful sensations, but endured, remembering her promise not to make mistakes. At the direction of a female doctor, Esther took a shower every day, after which her skin was treated with some kind of liquid. And Esther's skin became softer each time, and her color began to acquire a brighter peach hue. Aunt Elsa became more cheerful with each medical examination, joking with Gunther, and affectionately nudging Esther. And yesterday, Esther took advantage of the cheerful mood of the woman and asked her: “Aunt Elsa, you promised me that I would meet my mother ... When will this be possible?” Gunther threw a quick glance at the doctor, but she calmly replied: “Peach, I have never deceived anyone, not even people like you ... You will meet your mother on the day when I myself will come for you in the morning. This day will be our common holiday. And now Gunther will show you to the barracks. I need to think about this holiday."

The door to the barracks swung open, and Esther saw the silhouette of Aunt Elsa. “She came for me today! Today is a holiday, and I will see my mother!” Esther thought happily. The woman took a few steps towards the girl and held out her hand. "Come with me, Peach, it's time for you to meet your mother." The female doctor's voice sounded muffled. Esther ran up to her, grabbed her outstretched hand: “Today, huh? Am I meeting my mom today? Where is she, why didn’t she come with you, Aunt Elsa?!” The woman's hand clenched, and Esther felt pain, but the girl paid no attention to it. She longed for a meeting that could turn her whole life upside down, return happiness to her heart. The doctor ran her tongue over her lips, her pupils dilated, her eyes turned from blue to almost black: “Peach! Your mom is waiting for you at the hospital, let's go faster!" She almost dragged Esther out of the barracks with her. The sun hit the girl's eyes, she closed them, and opening them, she saw how the world around her had changed in an instant. Everything remained in its place - the towers along the perimeter of the camp, the smoking chimney of the crematorium, the barracks painted with gray paint. But the colors became brighter, friendlier, the spring sun warmed more strongly, and in the hospital her mother was waiting for her ... “Why is mother in the hospital? - Esther was worried - Is she sick? “Well, what are you, Peach, your mother cannot get sick! - Aunt Elsa said confidently - It can’t anymore ... ”Esther did not catch the sarcasm of the last words, and could she do it?

The girl and the female doctor walked side by side to the hospital building. A guard with a huge Rottweiler on a leash was walking towards them. And when the Rottweiler passed Esther, he suddenly sat down on his hind legs, and, looking at the girl, howled heart-rendingly. The SS man silently pulled the leash, the dog stopped howling, and walked beside the owner, looking back at Esther and the doctor.

Esther began to experience anxiety, the cause of which she could not find. After all, everything worked out well. Now, in a minute, she will meet her mother. But why did the dog howl so? Aunt Frida once said that dogs howl to death. Why meeting in the hospital if mom is not sick? Why is Aunt Elsa so nervous, squeezing her hand tighter and tighter? "I'm in pain!" Esther couldn't resist. “Are you hurt, Peach?! - the doctor asked in a strange dull voice - But what do you know about pain? About real pain?! Let's go, Peach! Today we have a holiday!”

They approached the front entrance to the hospital building, Aunt Elsa opened the door and pushed Esther inside. Esther saw long corridor, with painted White color walls and the same white doors. Here reigned sterile cleanliness. It was unusually quiet. And Esther was scared. No, she began to feel fear of this corridor along which she had to go. And suddenly the girl realized that her mother was not here. Otherwise, she would have already run towards her to hug her. “My mother is not here…” Esther said. "Why did you decide so?" - asked her aunt Elsa. "Mom isn't here! My mother is not here!!” Esther screamed. "Shut up, you vile creature!" - a harsh voice and thrown words that had never been heard before, only frightened the girl even more. "I'm not going anywhere! I want to go back to the bar! Mom isn't here!" - Esther began to pull out her hand, trying to free herself and run away to hide in the barracks. "You're ruining my holiday! Ruining the holiday! Ruining the holiday! - and after each phrase, heavy blows began to fall on Esther's face, skillfully delivered by an experienced hand. Esther's nose and ears bled and she began to lose consciousness. The woman picked her up and carried her to the far end of the corridor. Esther's head dangled from side to side, like a rag doll, she saw only the white ceiling of this terrible corridor, and then everything disappeared ...

"Gunther! Gunther, open the door, she's here! shouted the SS. Her face turned pale and twitched, her breathing became erratic. The heavy, felted door swung open, and the woman handed Esther into Gunther's arms. "Punish her, this rubbish!" Elsa screamed. The second man, dressed over a white coat in a butcher's apron, shuddered and put aside the anesthetic syringe. Gunther undressed the unconscious Esther and placed the girl on a stainless steel table that vaguely resembled an operating room. The surgical lamp flared brightly, and the door to the corridor closed tightly.

Complete silence reigned in the empty corridor ... And it reigned for a long time, it seemed for an eternity. And suddenly, in this sterile corridor, in this complete silence, the sound of a bell was heard. It was anxious, indecisive, reminiscent of the cry of a child. But, right there, a lot of other bells rang out ... There were more and more of them, and that first bell was no longer heard. And then everything went quiet. What was it? Esther's soul connected with the souls of many children who have traveled down this corridor before her? Or were they the souls of all the dead people different ways V different places? Only one thing is clear - the soul of little Esther has found its peace.

In a distant country, in the office of a huge apartment, where the sounds of Argentine tango were heard from the street, the desk lamp. The senile female hand turned it on and off. The woman's faded blue eyes looked at the lamp with a strange, almost loving feeling. When the lamp flashed, the room was illuminated by a soft diffused light. And this warm light was given by a lampshade made of the finest leather of a rare peach shade. Skin Esther.

Before setting up lights for studio photography, the first thing you need to do is decide which lighting arrangement will create the effect you want. Will your light fall into the category of hard or will it be soft? And what is the difference between them?

Let's first look at their main characteristics, and how each of them feels when photographing the same object.

Hard light in studio photography

In general, hard light refers to a single source of light directed at a distance, such as the sun on a clear day or the light of a lantern at night.

This hard light source creates high contrast where the transition between highlights and shadows is very crisp and well defined.

In some cases, this contrast may look too harsh (and undesirable).

Soft light in studio photography

On the other hand, the soft light source is larger, wider, and the light is relatively close to the subject. On a cloudy or overcast day, when ambient light is bouncing off a large concrete wall, this can be an example of a soft light source.

The light tends to be nice in places of contrast, the highlights have more detail, and the edges of the shadows are soft and open.

It's a more pleasant light overall, but it's not necessarily a single light source.

Many factors influence the choice of quality and type of light on set. The direction can be given by the art director or the client who asks to create photos in the spirit of the already existing style. They may be asked to recreate natural light conditions (for example, harsh sunlight in a hot desert on boots, or cool early morning light on a set table).

The subject itself can also have a big impact on which light to choose. Highly reflective objects (such as glass or chrome) or high contrast objects can be quite challenging for the photographer when trying to illuminate them with a hard light source. If you use only it, then the fight against spectral highlights or the preservation of details in shadows and highlights will be a real torment.

If you're lucky and the client has given you creative leeway, or if you're working on own project, then you can illustrate a mood or emotion by choosing the right lighting. Careful choice of lighting scheme, a combination of hard and soft light sources will help you achieve the desired result.

How to install hard light

To create a hard studio light scheme, place the key (main) source (flash with a 12” modifier) ​​to the left and slightly behind the subject. The initial beam may be too wide, so to concentrate it you can add a 35 degree grid for the modifier.

For this setup, final adjustments were made to the height and position of the key light so as to change the angle and length of shadows on the table and on the floor, as well as to illuminate the corners of the computer monitor in a pleasing manner. A 4'x8' sheet of black styrofoam (foamboard) was placed on the left side of the location to deepen the shadows and eliminate unwanted reflections. Two smaller sheets of white styrofoam (foamboard) were installed lower at the front and on both sides to retain the details of the table's front edge and legs.

A second light source with a 7” mesh modifier was mounted high up in the back of the location. Its angle was set to highlight the top right corner of the background, as seen in the photo (right).

How to install soft light

To create the soft light scheme, the key light was placed in the same location, but using a 4'x4' diffuser panel placed between the light and the subject. Remove the mesh from the key light to widen the beam. The black cardboard is replaced with white to fill in and reveal the shadows (but the two sheets in front remain). The background lighting has been pushed back, the mesh has been removed, but a diffusing disk has been added to soften and cover the entire background. This way the entire location becomes bright and softly lit with more light filling the image (left).

How to change a hard light source to a soft one

There are times when you have positioned your lights and found yourself wanting to go the other way. In this case, it is enough to simply change the type of light source from one to another. You can diffuse hard light to create soft light by placing a diffuse material between the source and the object, allowing you to control the angle and gradient of the light. You can also simply attach a softbox to soften the light and even make it bigger. You can take a soft light source and change its distance from the subject to make it harder and more focused. You also have the option of redirecting the light with reflectors, umbrellas, or handy tools to soften it and make it less directional.

Combination of hard and soft light

The final piece of studio photography advice is to be flexible with your lighting setup, regardless of years of experience. You may have an idea in your head of how the final photo should look, but you will find that the subject looks different in the location in different lighting conditions. Be prepared to try and search, as often times a combination of hard and soft light can bring out the best in a product.

An example of a soft light with a hard fringing light (push or accent) at the back. Notice the hard shadows on the table in front of the cups - this is created by hard light.

Once you fully understand soft and hard light sources, you can combine the two techniques. For example, a location should have edge lighting to add mood or dimension to the image, or to add emphasis to certain elements in the frame. Mastering both types of light will allow you to have complete control over the lighting and the final shot you create.

I continue to pretend to be Lev Nikolaevich and try to be an active blogger. Today I would like to talk about what is so lacking, our dark gray-lead-depressive, not the sunniest Belarusian winter. Let's talk about natural sunlight, ways to use it, and most importantly, let's look at examples of what happens in certain shooting conditions.

Found in the National Museum an unknown work of the Belarusian artist - "Lighthouse in Sunny Polissya". On it, the author tried to depict a diagram of the movement of the sun on a summer day.

I’ll immediately try to highlight what options for light you can get:

Rigid, most often frontal or lateral - when the sun shines from the corresponding direction on the model. (most often number 2)
-Control - the sun shines behind the model. From such photos everyone ends up if you didn’t know :) (At any time of the day, but the numbers 1 and 3 are optimal in the morning or evening)
-Soft diffused light - the sun behind the clouds. (clouds to the left and right of the number 2)
-Soft diffused light - the subject is in the shadow of a building or tree.

Probably something else, but I will write about the points outlined above :)

Most best time for shooting on a summer day - the second half of the day, approximately after 16-00. This is optimal, but it doesn’t mean at all that at other times of the day you can’t get masterpieces of good shots.

My most beloved, beloved, sweet and divine backlight :

You can also catch bunnies on purpose or not on purpose.

In the photo, backlight is easy to recognize by the characteristic halo along the contour, it is especially visible on the hair.

Backlight is convenient because it allows you to get uniform light on the object, and, most importantly, not to blind a person during the shooting (at least not so much). For such shooting, it is desirable to have a lens hood.

hard light for me it’s like a unicorn in Atlantis - I use it extremely rarely, my soul doesn’t lie, even if you crack :)

It is characterized by: deep shadows + contrast, rich picture.

But you can get interesting shadow drawings:

Its main drawback is that the model is very blind, therefore, most often, we open our eyes for three or four.

Soft diffused light - the sun behind the clouds. Everything is simple here - at any time of the day the sun can go behind the clouds. On all summer wedding shootings, the walk, most often, falls at the most inopportune time - from 12 to 16 - the sun is at its zenith, the light is as harsh and uncomfortable as possible. All photographers perform the rite of calling the clouds, they are happy with the clouds at such a time :)

And, almost the same, when the model is placed in the shadow:

Leroux has already been viewed 2 times :)

The shadow is very easy to find, it is worth looking at the ground: at point X there is more light, it is more contrasting and saturated, at point Y there is already a shadow - the light is much softer there.

In the second part I will try to talk about the use of reflectors and diffusers. To be continued...

Good light and the ability to use it is the key to cool shots and this mood:

In this article, we will look at concepts that are often found in the description of lighting sources - soft and hard light. Depending on tasks. which the photographer sets himself, his choice may be different.

Let's start with hard light. hard light, as a rule, is formed from a point source and is directional. Examples of hard light sources are: the sun in a clear sky at noon, a spotlight, a studio flash with a small reflector at a great distance from the subject.

hard light forms sharp and deep shadows, the area of ​​transition from light to shadow (tonal transition) is very small, in other words, the border between light and shadow is sharp. Such lighting, when directed at an angle, conveys the character of the surface and texture very well, but at the same time strongly emphasizes wrinkles or skin irregularities. Hard light portraits tend to be dramatic and bright.

But, despite this, many photographers avoid working with hard light, as it requires certain skills, the ability to "see the light" and very precise installation and adjustment of the light. The slightest turn of the head in one direction or another leads to a strong change, and often to the destruction of a beautiful black and white pattern. Masters of using hard lighting from domestic photographers are Oleg Tityaev, Ilya Rashap.

Now let's move on to soft light. Soft light- this is not necessarily diffused light, as is sometimes claimed. This interpretation of soft lighting is incomplete. The following statement would be more correct: the softness or hardness of lighting is determined by the relative size of the light source in comparison with the subject, as well as the distance to the subject.

Based on this, a soft light source can also produce harder lighting if you increase the distance between it and the subject so that the distance is much greater than the size of the source. Then the source will become close to a point source.

And how to get a soft light source? After all, a flash is practically a point source!

Exit - make the radiation area larger, that is, to distribute the luminous flux over a large surface. Note that the direction of the light will remain the same! Technically, this is done by reflecting light from a large surface (reflective umbrella, shooting with an on-camera flash pointed at the ceiling), or by transmitting light through a large-area diffusing material (softbox, scream panel, frost frame). Examples of natural sources of soft light are the sky in overcast weather, as well as big window which is not exposed to direct sunlight.

The image obtained with a soft light source has more extended borders of transitions from light to shadow, that is, wider tonal transitions. Such lighting hides the texture of the surface, roughness and skin defects in the portrait shot become less noticeable.

Many people think that to shoot a portrait in soft light, you need to have studio equipment. This is not at all a requirement. A good soft-light portrait can be captured using window light.